compassion understood the facts

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Pet Loss Support Training Programme: Training and Tools for

Veterinary Professionals and Practices

Why we need to care about end-of-life

Virbac Animal Health, 2010

Almost 47% of vets have end-of-life care discussions with pet owners more than

11 times per month

Compassion Understood Pet Owner Research, 2015

Be genuine. If you can't, don't fake it, but please exercise some kind of

compassion. I know vets probably have to do this

a lot and get de-sensitised, but pet

owners typically don't go through it regularly. Bedside manners are

pretty key.

It’s not an everyday occurrence for pet owners“

”

They get to say goodbye only

once…

20 to 25 %Client attrition

following bereavement is

high.Data on file. Onswitch 2014, Compassion Understood 2015

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Potential lost revenue• Let’s look at this financial impact. Caroline Hewson, also known as The Pet

Loss Vet, has estimated that the financial losses suffered through the client attrition we just looked at and increased staff turnover due to staff unhappiness and compassion fatigue amount to more than £10,000 each year … a silent loss that’s commonly overlooked. (see next slide) - diagram

• An estimated value on this “lack of attention” of the practice to the end of life over a 3-year period is more than £33,000. It makes total sense that retention of a client after pet loss is the most effective and cost-beneficial method of preventing these revenue-reducing losses:

Losses secondary to this year's euthanasias Losses arising from previous years' post-PTS attrition Cumulative losses year-on-year £0

£10,000

£20,000

£30,000

£40,000

£11,800

£0

£11,800£11,800£10,800

£22,600

£11,800

£21,600

£33,400

2014 2015 2016

www.thepetlossvet.com

Conservative estimate of ex-VAT turnover lost per full-time small animal vet when the practice does not have a

comprehensive approach to client bereavement.

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Differentiate yourself from competitors trough our accreditation Tool

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From veterinary teamOnly 35% of veterinary professionals felt they were well-equipped with answering questions about ‘the right time’70% felt that further training in pet loss support would be beneficialOnly 3% not interested in training Most vets in our focus groups had had no formal training on euthanasia, was “on the job”53% wanted a Qualify of Life assessment tool to help them with decision making

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From clientsOnly 60% of owners felt their vet clinic handled their pet’s euthanasia very well (leaving 40% who thought wasn’t handled very well)18% did not go back to same practice (but with 60% of clients saying they got a new pet within 3 years – where did they go?)14% accessed ongoing support/grief counselling52% say would have welcomed info on normal feelings and stages of grief. 41% owners not given any info on euthanasia or end-of-life care31% felt not very well-prepared for pet’s euthanasia apt20% of pets died under the age of 7 years (so highlights this is a consideration not just for elderly pets)

Compassion Understood Research: Veterinary Team, 2015

70% of vet professionals would like more training in pet loss and dealing

with bereaved clients.80% would like that

training to include learning about

compassion fatigue

The Compassion Understood Pet Loss Support Training

Programme

So that care is

consistent and

compassionate

The Compassion Understood Pet Loss Support Training

ProgrammeA

comprehensive online training

programme for the whole

practice team

The Compassion Understood Pet Loss Support Training

ProgrammeThree components, each providing 2.5 hrs. of training

1. Preparing for & nearing end-of-life

2. The pet’s passing

3. The client journey

The Compassion Understood Pet Loss Support Training

Programme

5 modules:

1.Understanding the pet owner2.Introducing the 4th life stage; Quality of

Life assessment and tools3.Decision-making and end-of-life

discussions4.Introduction to palliative & hospice care 5.Compassionate communication

Component 1: Preparing for & nearing end-of-life

The Compassion Understood Pet Loss Support Training

ProgrammeComponent 2: The pet’s passing5 modules:

1. Euthanasia: mind-sets and challenges2. Bond-centred euthanasia: the vet

professional’s guide3. Home euthanasia & common scenarios 4. Moving towards a bond-centred end-of-life

care: building protocols for your clinic5. Reflective practice: evaluation and team

care

The Compassion Understood Pet Loss Support Training

ProgrammeComponent 3: The client journey5 modules

1. Moving towards a bond-centred approach2. The client journey Part 1: before the last

appointment3. The client journey Part 2: immediately

after the appointment4. Supporting the client after their pet’s

passing5. Bringing everything together

The Compassion Understood Pet Loss Support Training

ProgrammeDelivered through videos, audios and articles• With reflective learning exercises

and multiple choice examinations• Developed by experts in end-of-

life, communication and education

• On passing, participants receive a certificate and accreditation points

• Accredited practices listed in publically-available database so they can find compassion-trained clinics

Differentiate your practice through accreditation

“The session really highlighted to me how we could be more helpful and informative to clients over the subjects of end-of-life care, euthanasia and bereavement. Any changes would need to involve the whole staff.” Compassion Understood Research: Veterinary Team, 2015

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Testimonials• “I have taken the Compassion Understood pet loss

support course and found it very helpful. End-of-life care is something we don’t think we need to learn about but we really do. As vets and veterinary nurses, we often only think about the pet but this course puts you in the mind-set of the client and their emotions.”  • Suzanne Smith RVN Park Vets Sidcup London  

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Testimonials• “(This is) CPD the whole practice team can learn from,

even experienced vets. I thought I was quite good at end of life situations until I realised I could try other options to enhance the experience for the owner and animal. (The training) makes you reconsider your practice and could make you more empathetic and compassionate than you already are in difficult situations. It addresses so many practical solutions to all the scenarios we will have encountered in practice.' • Kathleen Robertson MRCVS Vets North

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Testimonials• “I am not a technical person by any stretch of the imagination

and I managed to find my way around the training website easily. End-of-life care is something we should be able to talk about and break down barriers. We know clients are thinking about it, they know we know they are thinking about it but no-one speaks out. The Compassion Understood training will help veterinary practices start to talk about it. This course is marvellous. I feel that every module is pertinent to every member of staff involved in the bond centred vet approach…..all members of the team need to be involved in it if changes in the approach to euthanasia are to be considered."•  Rebecca Delli-Bovi RVN Clent Hills Veterinary Group

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Testimonials• I enjoyed all of the modules in the Compassion

Understood course and what I learnt from them would be of great use in practice and already has me thinking of a new approach to euthanasia in our practice.” •  Carly Lyons RVN Downland Veterinary Group 

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Compassion Understood Pet Owner Website Feedback• “I was impressed with the content of the website - it

seems to provide good advice and information in a sympathetic and yet practical manner and appears to address a difficult subject sensibly and sensitively.” • Stephanie Writer-Davies, BVSc, MRCVS, owner of an

independent small animal practice 

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Take 10: The Business Case for End-of-Life Practice Training & Support

• Getting end-of-life care right isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s essential. Our overwhelming evidence from both practice staff themselves and from owners is that this is an important part of the pet’s life-stage and extra support is needed. The benefits are clear:

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Take 10: The Business Case for End-of-Life Practice Training & Support• Client retention: There is a 25% loss of client base every year, for various reasons. In our study

between 16 and 19% of clients that lost a pet did not go back to the same practice with their next pet. Need to re-evaluate the end of life approach and establish best practice.

• New clients: a satisfied client is the best form of marketing there is; word-of-mouth rules. Pet loss is one of the most emotive parts of the pet-owning journey. Get it right and you will drive new business

• Differentiation from competitors: Client want to know you care- having a specific end-of-life training programme and client support in place shows you care: utilise accreditation and listing as evidence

• Staff satisfaction (Compassion satisfaction vs Compassion fatigue!) leads to staff retention. • Staff communication skills improve – helps other areas of client interaction in practice. Cross-

pollinates your other services

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Take 10: The Business Case for End-of-Life Practice Training & Support• Encourages team harmony and cohesiveness: one of the few areas where there is

a role for every member of the pet team, and a very clear journey/transition from one to the next. Encourages close team working and cooperation. Drives compliance

• RCVS complaints decrease: euthanasia complaints are the number 1 complaint issue from owners

• Practice Standards Awards: clear new category on end of life support and additional awards for training/evidence of providing support

• CPD that sticks: direct relevance to everyday situations in practice. The nature of the Compassion Understood learning is set-up to encourage individualised reflection with instructions and exercises to help incorporate learning into daily practice, and make self-assessment for improvement.

• Knowledge increases opportunities: training on emerging trends – including at home services, palliative and hospice care services. Potential for other revenue/roles that practice can offer.

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